Key Points
- Robinsons Bookshop has apologised over comments made online by its owner in December.
- In posts on X, Susanne Horman called for more books with "white kids on the cover".
- The bookshop said the comments have been taken out of context, and that it supports stories from diverse voices.
An independent bookshop in Victoria has apologised after its owner made comments online calling for more picture books "with just white kids on the cover".
In recent comments posted to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the owner of Robinsons Bookshop Susanne Horman also claimed the store would not be stocking books that "intend to cause harm and make Australians hate each other".
"Basically the woke agenda that divides people," she said.
The comments from early December were shared in an Instagram post on Saturday by an account named coffeebooksandmagic. The bookshop has since apologised, saying the comments are being "taken out of context".
An Instagram post from an account named coffeebooksandmagic has shared information about comments made by Robinsons Bookshop owner Susanne Horman. Source: Instagram / coffeebooksandmagic
"So I am advocating for a substantial shift in the focus of Australian publishers to be in line with public opinion and request for books and for what is GOOD! We aren't going to stock books that intend to cause harm and make Australians hate each other."
Another post read: "Books we don't need: hate against white Australians, socialist agenda, equity over equality, diversity and inclusion (READ AS anti-white exclusion), left wing govt propaganda. Basically the woke agenda that divides people.
"Not stocking any of these in 2024."
A screenshot from an Instagram post shared by coffeebooksandmagic showing the now-deleted X account of Robinsons Bookshop owner Susanne Horman. Source: Instagram / coffeebooksandmagic
'Appalling': Comments spark backlash
The Instagram post has since attracted hundreds of comments from users, including authors and other bookstore owners.
Many are critical of Horman's views, with some calling them "appalling" and suggesting they would boycott the store.
"This is appalling. As a bookstore owner, this is the exact opposite of what we stand for at g&a," a post from Sydney bookstore Gertrude and Alice said.
Bookshop apologises, says comments are 'taken out of context'
In a statement posted on its social media channels on Sunday, the bookstore apologised to "anyone who has been offended by online comments", which it said are being "edited by individuals and posted on social media".
"They are being taken out of context and being misrepresented as the views of Robinsons Bookshop when they are not," the statement said.
"We clearly state, so there is no misunderstanding, that we fully support and encourage stories from diverse voices, minorities and we are most definitely stocking these important topics and the authors that write them."
It said the business would continue to advocate for "positive hope filled stories" that "bring out the best in all our community" and "make all people feel supported and fulfilled".
Carly Findlay, an appearance activist, writer and speaker, left an Instagram comment expressing her dismay about Horman's posts, saying the store "has been such a good supporter of [her] work" along with other disabled and under-represented authors.
"It's disappointing to see the owner's blatant feelings about diverse authors," she said.
The account owner behind coffeebooksandmagic responded in a subsequent Instagram post, saying the tweets they shared "were whole and complete unedited screenshots", and that the bio of the account "clearly proclaimed the account owner as the owner of Robinsons Bookshop".
"These tweets had been sitting there for over a month by the time I found them. The tweets themselves display the date in the screenshots," they said.
"There was no other context. I did not omit anything."
SBS News has sought comment from Robinsons Bookshop and Horman.
